Once Frank Clark was arrested in late June, it became a foregone conclusion that the Kansas City Chiefs would have to something to address the lack of depth on the edge. With all the unknown still swirling around Clark and his availability for this season, the Chiefs kept it simple by resigning Alex Okafor to a one-year deal, via Ian Rapoport.
Free agent pass-rusher Alex Okafor is signing back with the #Chiefs, source said. He gets a 1-year deal and will return to KC, his home for the last two seasons.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 20, 2021
Okafor had spent the last two season with the Chiefs while spending the prior six with the Cardinals and Saints. He remained a free agent throughout all of the offseason before Kansas City finally pulled the trigger on Tuesday.
Had Clark not been dealing with his off the field issues, perhaps the Chiefs wouldn't have made this move. Given what has transpired, it was a no-brainer to bring back someone with familiarity in the system given that training camp is set to start soon for all 32 teams.
In two season with the Chiefs, Okafor has accumulated 8 sacks and started 9 games while playing in 21 contests. He's a nice depth piece for Kansas City at a minimum and his role could see a drastic uptick if Clark isn't available from the jump start of the season.
The offense is never in question in Kansas City with Patrick Mahomes under center throwing to the likes of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. The defense had some noticeable gaps or areas that needed to be addressed and they did that with this signing. They filled one weakness, at least to some extent, by bringing back Alex Okafor.
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